


too scared to ask (but you always say yes)

by sobsicles



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec and Jace are Omegas, Alec goes into Heat, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/F, Fluff and Smut, Humor, Jace is very pregnant, M/M, Magnus is an Alpha, Mpreg, Omega Verse, The Lightwoods are Dancers, magnus takes care of him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:42:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21979027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sobsicles/pseuds/sobsicles
Summary: Alec's never spent a heat with anyone before. Every time, in the haze of lust and heady scent of his own sex, he wishes that he could. Before, he used to imagine some faceless man helping him through it. Now, he pictures Magnus taking up that role.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago/Jace Wayland
Comments: 34
Kudos: 457
Collections: Hunter's Moon Fic Recs





	too scared to ask (but you always say yes)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TobytheWise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobytheWise/gifts).



> This is for my lovely Soulbatai, Toby! This time of the year is always so crazy and so hard for me, but just having them makes me feel so much better. 
> 
> Toby, I love you so much, and I apologize deeply for being all over the place recently. Thank you for being here for me without fail. I meant to share this on Christmas, but I'm a mess of a human being. You love me anyway, and I appreciate that and return the feelings more than you can know. Happy holidays, my love. The Alec to my Jace. The reason FIB and Jerry scratch their heads in confusion. My Shadowhunter fandom best friend. Sharer of my soul. I hope you enjoy this. I love you. ❤

No matter how hard Alec tries, he'll never get used to the sight of Jace doing gravity-defying flips with a bulging stomach. He's had eight and a half months to get used to the sight, but he still hasn't adjusted. 

"And then I finished with a toe touch," Jace tells him, holding his arms out with an expectant look. 

Alec bites his lip. "Can you even touch your toes?" 

Jace frowns and looks down at his stomach, running a hand over it. With a grunt, he dips down to reach for his toes, but only gets about halfway. 

"Get  _ out  _ of me, demon," he hisses at his stomach, clicking his tongue as he straightens up. 

"Hey, that's my niece you're talking about," Alec scolds lightly. "She's not a demon." 

"Depending on who her father is," Jace declares, waddling over to plop down at the table across from Alec, "she might be." 

Alec snorts. "Well, we know you're her father for sure, so that might actually be true." 

"Fuck you," Jace whispers, cupping his stomach like he's covering his unborn child's ears. 

"You never said who you want it to be." Alec leans forward to stare at Jace's stomach, squinting at it like he can see the genetics with the power of his mind. "Do you have a preference?" 

Jace waves a lazy hand. "Either one, really. Doesn't really matter  _ who  _ it is; we're all gonna raise her." 

Alec nods and sits back, picking up the damp towel he's been carrying around with him for the last three days. He dabs at the back of his neck, releasing a soft sigh at the cool contact against his heated skin. Jace watches him in sympathy. 

"Don't say it," Alec warns. 

"You should just  _ ask  _ Magnus to help you this time, Alec," Jace mutters, lips tipping down. 

Alec rolls his eyes. "You said it." 

"I don't know why you're being so difficult about this. My life got ten times easier when I allowed Raphael and Simon to help me." Jace leans back in his seat, arms resting on his large stomach. He cocks his head slightly. "And you're situation is even better than mine. I didn't even  _ like  _ Simon and Raphael." 

"Bullshit someone else who doesn't know you. Jace, you had a major crush seen from  _ space  _ on them. Also, I don't like what you're implying," Alec mutters, moving the towel to press against his face. 

"You and Magnus have a  _ thing,  _ like Izzy says," Jace replies simply. "Do something about it." 

Alec arches an eyebrow and jerks his chin at Jace's stomach. "And what? End up like you?" 

"Hey, this is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Jace counters, wrapping his arms around his stomach even more, like he's hugging it. "I mean, my feet hurt all the time, my back is  _ killing  _ me, and I can't dance as much as I used to...but still." 

"Magnus is...complicated," Alec mumbles, cringing at the spike of heat that skitters up his spine. He can smell the desire wafting off him, and he has no doubt that Jace does as well. 

"And he also gets you going like no one else does." Jace raises a pointed eyebrow and taps his knuckles against the tabletop. "Can't hide what you're feeling when you're an Omega, Alec. That's just our lives. Might as well just...take it in stride." 

Alec shakes his head back and forth, pressing the towel tighter to his neck. He can feel the desire pulse harder, taking root at the bottom of his spine, turning hot and heady as it spreads through him. He sighs and quickly pushes to his feet, knowing that his oncoming heat will only get worse if he ignores it. 

Alec clears his throat and points awkwardly over his shoulder. "I'm just gonna--" 

"Yeah, I know. Best thing about being pregnant is that I don't have to go into heat. Horny as fuck, though. Raphael thinks it's  _ hilarious  _ when I drag Simon to the bedroom every other hour. Drives him  _ nuts  _ when I ask him to come watch." Jace's expression takes on a dreamy quality. "There's just something about him sitting in the corner of the room, telling us what to do, you know? It's really--" 

"Jace," Alec interrupts, nose wrinkling, "I am very happy for you, you  _ know  _ this, but please." 

"Right, right." Jace smooths a hand over his stomach and smiles again. "You know, it's statistically more likely to be Simon who's the dad, 'cause Raphael doesn't often have sex with us. But I'm gonna be honest...I think it's actually Raphael." 

Alec nods and tries to pretend that he's not starting to sweat. "Why do you think that?" 

Jace shrugs. "A feeling, I guess. He doesn't usually care for sex, but every now and again, especially when his rut hits, he'll get involved. Usually he just ignores his rut, which just feels like a superpower to me. No sexual attraction, just a boner, and he takes it like it's meaningless. Dunno how he does it." 

"Well, he's asexual, Jace," Alec drawls, rolling his eyes and grimacing as the heat spikes yet again. "Plus he's an Alpha; more controlled and less emotionally-driven." 

"Remember when we wanted to be Alphas?" Jace murmurs, looking down at his stomach. "We were so stupid. Being Omega is the  _ best."  _

Alec huffs and takes a step back, no longer capable of following the conversation. "If you say so, Jace. Right about now, I'm finding it very hard to agree with you. Seriously, I need to go." 

"Alright, alright," Jace says, looking up at Alec in faint amusement. "You should call Magnus, Alec. I mean it. At the very least, you'll have an easier heat." 

The mere sound of Magnus' name makes the desire circulating within him take a sharp dive to the space between his hips, turning hot and demanding. Arousal thickens the room so hard and so quickly that Jace wrinkles his nose, but he gives Alec another pointed look. Alec scowls and tries to ignore the shame following on the curtails of his arousal, sour next to the overly sweet scent. 

"Maybe," Alec grits out, because he wants absolutely nothing more than to do that. It's a lie, just like what he says next is. "I'll text him, at least." 

Jace simply nods and shoos him out of the room, coughing slightly around the thick scent permeating the air around them. Alec keeps his stride quick and confident, booking it to his room and blatantly ignoring all the people he passes as they lift their heads and scent at the air, noses twitching. 

Not for the first time, Alec wonders why in the hell he still lives at the Institute. The separate wing where their rooms are feel too far away now, even if they're really not. Living in their own dance studio is just...impractical, really. 

He doesn't regret it, though. His parents had bought this place before he was ever born, before they ever adopted Jace, and he's grown up within these walls. He's seen famous dancers come and go, watched Jace and Izzy train to be among them, learned how to become the best too. People come from all over New York to come learn from the Lightwoods, and Alec is incredibly proud of that. 

It just sucks that most of their customers and other trainers know he's fleeing to go welcome his heat just because they can smell him as he moves up the halls. He misses the days before this was an issue. Before he ever met Magnus. 

They all used to think Alec had ironclad control. No one usually caught a whiff from him, and many found it hard to place what he presented as. So many people just  _ assumed  _ he's an Alpha, which has never been an issue for him. 

And then he met Magnus. 

Magnus is an event-organizer who owns a wildly popular club called Pandemonium. He'd reached out one day out of the blue to see if the Lightwoods would come dance for one of his events, and they'd all agreed. The pay had been really nice, and Magnus himself had sounded persuasive over the phone. Later, they'd all met in person--it's also where Clary, Simon, and Raphael came into their lives. 

Izzy had taken one look at Clary, a fierce Omega with a smile as bright as her eyes, and she'd been a goner. Alec's fortunate enough to have been able to watch his sister fall in love, even if Clary had played hard to get for a while. It's a common ploy for Omegas to do when they  _ really  _ want an Alpha, flirt and tease and act like the mouse that's begging to be caught by the cat. Izzy had fallen for it, naturally--she's more Alpha than Alec and Jace could've ever pretended to he. They'd ended up locking themselves in Clary's apartment for a week after the mouse finally got caught. Alec wonders even now if Izzy realizes that Clary was the cat in the scenario the whole time. 

Raphael and Simon had been strange, in Alec's opinion. He'd assumed that Simon was a Beta--a rare and nearly invisible presentation--but he'd been surprised to find out that he was an Alpha. More surprising is that he's  _ with  _ another Alpha, something that Alec's never heard of before them. But Raphael isn't your usual Alpha, and neither is Simon, and poor Jace really hadn't stood a chance once they set their sights on him. That particular situation had dragged out until it was almost impossible to be in the room with all of them at the same time; Jace had filled every room with the scent of  _ want  _ until Simon apparently had enough and did the first Alpha thing Alec had ever seen from him. Even Raphael hadn't refused when Simon dragged the three of them off without hiding his intentions. 

And Magnus…

Alec has been fucking  _ gone  _ on Magnus since he first ever met him. Alphas, as a rule, are usually a bit more abrasive when they're passionate about something, but Magnus has never once gotten riled up about anything. Alec's known him for over a year now, and he has a fierceness in his passions, but never aggression. He's gentle in moments that matter, funny without trying to be, wise way beyond his years, and he's utterly magnetizing. 

Despite doing his best to keep it together, Alec is a mess around him. They're good friends and spend a lot of time together, even when they don't have to, but he's pretty sure that it's impossible to miss his crush. Everyone else knows, at least. Yet, somehow, Magnus seems none the wiser. 

His obliviousness would be cute if Alec hasn't been internally  _ begging  _ Magnus to do something about whatever pull sits between them. 

But Magnus never does. Either he really is clueless, which seems unlikely, or he doesn't  _ want  _ to do anything because he doesn't feel the same. The mere idea makes Alec feel like shit, but he's unwilling to end their friendship just because he messed up and fell in love with him. 

For now, all he can do is lock himself in his room and miserably fuck his own fist, skin feeling as if it's on fire, his heat steadily approaching. 

And so...that's what he does. 

* * *

The thing about heats are that they're never the same twice. They can last a day, or stick around for six, and they rarely land on the same day. The only consistency to them is that they happen every month and they're fucking  _ horrible  _ without a mate to get you through them. It's the prime time for Omega's to get pregnant as well, and if the heat lasts long enough, it can trigger an unscheduled rut for an Alpha. 

Alec's never spent a heat with anyone before. Every time, in the haze of lust and heady scent of his own sex, he wishes that he could. Before, he used to imagine some faceless man helping him through it. Now, he pictures Magnus taking up that role. And after the heat ends, he always feels annoyed at being weak enough to want help from someone else at all. 

This heat is the worst one he's had in a long time. He's known it would be from the moment that the symptoms started coming on. They had crept up slow and steady, building up to something serious, and that's always how you know it's going to be bad. The longer and more in depth the symptoms are before the heat, the worse the heat is. 

Alec has been dealing with the symptoms for the past four days, sweating and dealing with random spikes of arousal. Dreadfully thirsty and eating anything in sight. More emotional and quick to anger. The urge to clean, to make a freaking  _ nest  _ like he's about to get pregnant, to pander and cling to any Alpha that makes him feel anything positive. 

Izzy's always incredibly patient with him during this time, listening to him rant and rave, letting him cater to her without acting like he's weaker for it. Raphael and Simon steer clear when he gets like this, knowing that Alec practically  _ hates  _ them during this time--they're not his sister and they're not Alphas he wants to be with, so he turns hostile  _ really  _ easily. Magnus, however, has never seen him like this, mostly because Alec does everything in his power to keep him from exactly that. 

Until now. 

Alec's room  _ reeks  _ of sweat and sex from where he's been rubbing his dick against his pillow and moaning pitifully at the sensation, getting off over and over. There is reprieve, fortunately, but not for very long. His heat hits him in waves, washing in and drowning him, making him mindless with it. 

There's a knock on the door in one of his moments of relief. His whole body hurts and he's sweating through his shirt. His sheets are a  _ mess  _ and his skin itches like it's trying to rip apart. Still, he forces himself to get up and trudge to the door, peeling it open and blearily peering out. 

Magnus looks up at him, lips parting, pupils expanding to nearly take over the entirety of the warm brown rings. "Oh," he breaths out. 

Alec leans heavily against the door, blinking harder, not entirely sure this isn't a hallucination. "Magnus? What are you doing here?" 

"It's you." Magnus sucks in a sharp breath, his nostrils flaring. "Oh, you smell  _ lovely,  _ Alexander." 

"This is my room, Magnus," Alec says flatly, still capable of sarcasm, even now. 

Magnus nods and clears his throat. "I stopped by to offer Izzy a spot Friday night. Simon's playing and we needed a dancer for the party. As I was leaving, I caught the scent of--of something  _ magnificent.  _ Then I was standing at your door." 

"Oh," Alec mumbles, clenching his hand on the door hard enough for it to groan in protest. "Well, I'm kinda in the middle of...you know, a heat. So." 

"So you are," Magnus whispers, throat bobbing as he swallows thickly. "I didn't mean to intrude. I can--I'll leave you to--" 

"No!" Alec's hand flies out without his permission, landing on Magnus' wrist and halting him from backing away. Alec coughs. "Sorry, I just--you weren't intruding." 

"Ah." Magnus nods and smiles. "Is it over?" 

Alec grimaces. "Not--not quite. Right in the middle, actually. I probably have two more days, so if--if you need anything, I'll be indisposed." 

Magnus takes another deep inhale, like he can't help it, and his voice is thick when he speaks. "I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me. If you need anything, you can always ask." 

Alec snaps his mouth closed and drops Magnus' wrist like it burns. It's all he can do not to open his mouth and  _ beg _ Magnus to come inside, to just be there with him. Even his presence would help, Alec knows. Whether Magnus knows it or not, he can't deny their compatibility if his nose had led him straight to Alec. 

Just having an Alpha he wants near him would make all of this go smoother. Having Magnus help him, touch him,  _ fuck  _ him...that would be even better, but Alec's not in the middle of the crazed portion of his heat, so he's self-aware enough to know that he can't dare to ask for that. 

"Thanks," Alec rasps. 

Magnus lingers in the doorway, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. "Anytime. You know that, don't you? Not just during a heat, or  _ because  _ of a heat. I'd help you with anything, anytime." 

"That's--that's really nice, Magnus," Alec mumbles with a faint smile, his own nostrils flaring as he sways forward and inhales Magnus' enthralling scent. "Really nice." 

Magnus spells like spice and mint and sex and every single fucking thing Alec's ever wanted. He desperately wants to bury his face in Magnus' neck, get lost in his scent, maybe never let go. 

"Alexander, darling," Magnus says--croons it, really, like he's swirling Alec's name in his mouth the same way he does wine. "All you have to do, all you've ever had to do, is  _ ask."  _

The umpteenth wave of his heat starts creeping up on him like a rising tsunami, announcing its approach by making Alec break out in goosebumps and heat itch underneath his skin. It's not quite there, not clouding his mind just yet, but his chest pinches with the selfish desire not to deal with it alone. He--he doesn't want to do this, and more than anything, he doesn't want to do without  _ Magnus.  _

Alec whimpers, eyes sinking closed. "Please," he croaks out, sounding desperate to his own ears. 

Magnus is instantly there, stepping into the room with a confident stride, shutting the door with a quiet click. Gently, he reaches up to cradle Alec's cheeks, drifting into his space, and Alec wonders yet again why Magnus isn't a professional dancer. He moves like one, flowing limbs like liquid, every twitch of his body like a smooth breeze. 

"It's okay, I got you," Magnus murmurs, caressing his thumb over Alec's cheeks. "Let me take care of you. I want to. I have wanted to for so long." 

Alec leans into Magnus' palms. "Okay," he murmurs, the wave growing stronger, need curling low and hot in his gut. "Okay, Magnus." 

Magnus leans up and presses a gentle kiss to his lips, just the sweetest of touches, and Alec cherishes it. He's not wrapped up in the middle of his heat and has full control, so their first kiss isn't something bred from instinct--they're kissing softly, lips pressing warm and dry together, because they  _ want  _ to. Something in Alec's chest smooths over at that, and he lets out a relieved sigh. 

Immediately after that, he sucks in a harsh breath as that wave finally comes crashing down. It's the first time he's ever felt...agreeable to it. He welcomes it, almost, feeling safe with Magnus there to get him through it. As his mind goes hazy and Magnus groans low in his throat at the smell of his arousal, Alec accepts it, sinking into it. 

A good Alpha attunes themselves to their Omegas needs during a heat. It isn't all just crazy, demanding sex--though that's a good part of it. Any Alpha worth their salt knows what a toll a heat takes on an Omega. It's taxing on their bodies, they're sore and in discomfort, and their emotions are all over the place. They're quite literally out of control in certain areas, too caught up in biology taking over to stop and think about helping themselves. They don't have time to lube up any raw skin; they don't think about eating or drinking anything; they don't care to remind themselves that the deep loneliness--if they're doing it alone--during a heat isn't something that lasts forever. Everything is in the moment, as imperative as it's going to get, and they're too gone to even try and look past it. 

Alec, as much as he hates it, is no exception. 

In almost no time at all, he's whining low in the back of his throat and shoving his hands down his pants, tugging furiously on his own swollen cock. Magnus shushes him gently and pulls his hand away, murmuring low reassurances as he leads him to the bed, helping Alec out of his sweaty clothes. The cool air is heaven for a moment against his heated skin, and Alec sighs heavily as he stands naked in the cool air. Magnus quickly strips the sheets, making sure to pause and touch Alec regularly, talking about nothing at all as he snags the sheets Alec's already laid out to replace the filthy ones. 

Then, just as easy as that, Magnus is guiding Alec back to the bed and pushing him down carefully, taking his own clothes off. His jewelry clicks against the top of Alec's dresser and he leaves his clothes in a pile. Alec reaches out to touch, helpless to stop himself, and Magnus lets him, smiling and letting Alec run his hands over his stomach and arms without complaint. 

"Tell me you have lubricant," Magnus says, clasping Alec's hand in his own, his words gentle but firm. 

Alec blinks, fighting against the fog in his brain, trying to think clearly. "I--the drawer. Socks." 

"Good," Magnus praises calmly, pulling away for a moment to dig through Alec's sock drawer. 

Then, without waiting, Magnus pops the lid to the lube and pours a good amount over his hand. He kneels on the bed beside Alec, allowing him to touch as he pleases, well aware how helpful the skin-on-skin contact is. He smooths his hand down Alec's dick, his grip firm and slick. 

"Oh," Alec chokes out, body jolting like he's been shocked. He slams his head back against the pillow and digs his nails into Magnus' arms. "Oh god. Yes, Magnus,  _ yes."  _

"That's it, darling," Magnus encourages, speeding his hand up when Alec moans loudly and arches up into the motion. "I've got you. You're utterly gorgeous right now; it must be illegal." 

Alec grits his teeth and comes, his whole body shaking as Magnus slows his hand but doesn't stop. Releasing a broken sigh, he relaxes back into the pillows, eyes slowly opening as Magnus pulls his hand back. It won't take long before Alec's hard again, and he's still gripped in this heat, but Magnus appears to have something else in mind. 

"Don't--don't leave," Alec whispers, holding Magnus' arm and staring up at him pleadingly. Distantly from somewhere deep in his mind, too far to truly be of any help currently, he recognizes how clingy he is being. He can't help it. 

Magnus smiles at him again. "I'm not going anywhere, Alec. I just want to grab you some water and perhaps a quick snack if you can manage it." 

Alec bites his lips but lets Magnus go. Sure enough, Magnus doesn't go very far. He grabs the granola bar off of Alec's nightstand and the half-empty bottle of water that's almost rolled under his bed. Alec's brain in this moment finds it very sexy that Magnus has noticed these things. An observant Alpha, a good mate for him. 

Everything else that follows only adds to that decision. Magnus cares for him throughout this wave of his heat. He keeps a lubed-up hand at the ready at all times, milking each orgasm from Alec so easily that there's barely any pain mixed into his pleasure. He makes sure Alec stays dehydrated and tries to keep him fed as well, though the last one is harder. He reassures Alec over and over, every time he gets some nonsense idea in his head that Magnus will leave, or Magnus doesn't want him, or that Magnus won't fuck him. He even massages Alec's sore muscles, talking calmly all the while. 

And when the wave comes to its peak, just before its end, Alec loses himself entirely. He can barely hear himself begging, but he knows what he wants, what he  _ needs.  _ Something--Magnus preferably--to fuck him, or to fuck into, besides a hand. Magnus helps him to his knees, sitting at his side and murmuring praise in his ear, and he fucks into Alec's slick hole just like he needs. It's so perfect that Alec can't hold himself up, and he faceplants the pillow as his arms give out, letting out a genuine shout of protest when it upsets the motion of Magnus' hand. 

Magnus handles it like a pro, quickly and easily flipping him to his side and sliding in close to him. Alec's eyes keep fluttering, his hips jerking as he tries to get that full feeling of Magnus' fingers back. Pulling Alec's leg onto his hip, Magnus slides down so he can reach behind him and fuck him that way, leaving Alec to bury his face in Magnus' hair. 

Alec can feel Magnus' heavy cock against his hip and he gropes for it blindly, sparks dancing up and down his spine as Magnus brushes against his prostate. 

"Ignore it, my dear," Magnus murmurs. 

But Alec doesn't  _ want to.  _ He wants to make Magnus feel good too, so that's exactly what he does. Finally getting a hand around Magnus' cock, he starts pulling him off in tune with the rocking of the fingers in his slick hole. Magnus makes a sound like all the air has been punched from him, and Alec comes long and hard, tucking his face into Magnus' throat, breathing him in, and mindlessly biting him. Magnus spasms beneath him and comes too, choking Alec's name out like a prayer. 

It takes Alec a moment to come back to himself. That's the end of that wave and he gets to recuperate now, gets to be himself for just a little while. When he finally comes around, Magnus is cleaning him up without a hint of embarrassment, wiping away come and lube like it's his day job. 

"Shit," Alec says, grimacing. "I bit you." 

Magnus offers him a kind smile. "You didn't break the skin, Alec. It's fine. Will you eat for me?" 

Alec blinks. "What? Oh, yeah. I mean, yeah, thank you. Seriously. For--for all of this." 

"I've been wanting to do this since I met you," Magnus admits, a glimmer in his eye as he walks over to Alec's mini-fridge and starts digging around for something more to eat than a snack. "Actually, I feel I should be thanking you. It's my pleasure to do this." 

"Wait, so you--you actually  _ like  _ me?" Alec mutters, staring at him in faint confusion. 

Magnus chuckles and stands up to bring over the ham and cheese sandwich Alec had made specifically for this, as well as an apple. "Dear Alexander, you truly have no idea how  _ much.  _ But I intend to show you after your heat is over. If you'll allow me to." 

"You're going to stay?" Alec asks in wonder, his eyes wide as Magnus sits next to him. 

"I'd like to," Magnus whispers. 

Alec swallows. "Yeah, so would I." 

And so...that's exactly what Magnus does. 

* * *

Alec watches in amusement as Raphael comes bursting in the room with three cups of pudding in his hands, looking slightly harried. Simon comes barreling in right after him, holding a spoon. 

"About damn time," Jace grumbles, wincing as he shifts in his chair. 

"Here," Raphael says sharply, snatching the spoon from Simon and passing it to Jace, giving him an open pudding cup immediately after. 

Jace takes a bite and groans obscenely around the spoon, eyes fluttering shut. "Nothing else in the world matters as much as this pudding. God, it's so fucking  _ good."  _

"I take it your cravings are still going strong," Alec muses, lips curling up. 

"Yeah." Jace opens his eyes and hums around another bite. "And my feet still hurt, and my back is still killing me, and I need to pee  _ again,  _ but this pudding? It's the best thing that's ever happened to me." 

"I resent that," Simon mutters. 

Jace cuts him a sharp look and Simon shares a fond look with Raphael, who tries to hide how fond he is by rolling his eyes. 

"Hey," Izzy says softly as she walks up to the table, Clary curled tight into her side. 

Clary reeks of her latest heat and she's clinging, which means it's only just stopped recently. Izzy is incredibly gentle with Clary under normal circumstances, but during a heat and immediately after? It's like Clary's her delicate flower, which Clary acts like she hates, even though she adores it. Alec can relate. 

"Hey," Alec greets, his nose wrinkling at the scent following Clary as she sits with a deep sigh and wince. "Jace is making love to pudding again." 

Clary snorts. "Isn't he always?" 

"Is it weird to envy pudding?" Simon flops down beside Clary, but not too close. "Tell me the truth, Fray, I can take it." 

"More than weird," Izzy answers for her, narrowing her eyes and tucking Clary closer. A clear warning for Simon not to touch her. 

Alec rolls his eyes at the display, but quickly forgets to be amused at his friends when Magnus enters the room. His head is held high and the bite mark on his neck is visible beneath his swooping collar. Alec can't help but beam in pride, endlessly fascinated with the sight of it. His mate, his  _ official  _ mate. 

"Hello, darling," Magnus greets, smiling as he swoops down to drop a quick kiss off on Alec's lips before sitting in the open seat beside him. 

Alec grins. "Hey." 

Magnus reaches out to grab his hand, holding it like it's pure instinct, and Alec leans back with a pleased sigh. Raphael is sitting next to Jace, rubbing his bulging stomach, nodding to whatever Simon's saying. Jace is eating his pudding, looking more content than he usually does recently, which is fair considering he's very close to giving birth. Clary leans hard into Izzy's side, looking worn out and tired but safe and happy, and Izzy holds her close as if she can't stand for her to be any farther away. 

The moment yawns wide in Alec's mind, almost lethargic and sweet in the way Magnus is when he first wakes in the morning. There's a warmth in his chest and it feels as if a balloon is expanding in there, making his heart feel full. Everything is good, all of it, and Alec's never been happier. 

He knows his heat will come in a few days, can already feel the temperature rising beneath his skin, but he's not worried. He has Magnus to be with him through the entirety of it. And he's so endlessly thankful for that. 

He's thankful for all of this, right now, right here. 

Alec wouldn't change a thing. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this! If you did, don't hesitate to drop off some kudos and please leave a comment; I do so enjoy them! 
> 
> Ta!
> 
> -SOBS


End file.
